This appeared in Sarah Palin's "America by Heart." I think it is especially appropriate today. It is the veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion. It is the veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble. It is the veteran, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. .It is the veteran, not he politician, who has given...

A special Veterans Day tribute featuring Due Souths' song "The Good Guys" (written by a FReeper!!!) with a special message from Debbie Lee, whose son, Marc Alan Lee was the first Navy Seal killed in Iraq. Help make this video go viral, and in turn help Debbies'charity "Americas' Mighty Warriors" raise funds. You can hear more of Due South at "goodguysusa.com'

I am looking to buy a home in the State of Illinois and wanted to know if anyone has had any experience with the on-line VA Loan programs that are available? Any in particular? Pros and cons of going this route?

A new group called Occupy Marines is calling on non-active duty Marines to support the "Occupy" protest movement. The group was formed online to support the Occupy Wall Street protests after videos circulated online of a Marine confronting New York City police, questioning their tactics used against Occupy Wall Street demonstrators.... (VIDEO AT LINK) In a video that has received nearly 2.5 million views, Marine Sgt. Shamar Thomas of Roosevelt, N.Y. an Iraq War veteran, spoke out to police in New York's Times Square, charging that they were over-reacting to Occupy marchers - and shaming their uniform....

Traditionally, fighting slows in the middle of Afghan winters as opposing sides dig in to establish gains already made or make plans to retake losses. This winter, coalition troops are working to solidify positions in former Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan, holding ground and working with locals. Meanwhile the Taliban continues its campaign of sporadic attacks, and steps up efforts to create a sort of shadow government in parts of eastern Afghanistan. Though conflicts were light last month, 32 coalition troops still lost their lives

snip... By far the most contentious proposal circulating in Washington is from a Pentagon advisory panel, the Defense Business Board. It would make the military pension system, a defined benefit plan, more like a 401(k) plan under which the Pentagon would make contributions to a service member’s individual account; contributions by the troops themselves would be optional. Mr. Panetta has said that if adopted, the plan would not apply to current military personnel.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) - A Marine who fought in the Battle of Okinawa urged Americans on Friday to honor those who served in World War II now, while veterans from that conflict are still alive. E. Bruce Heilman, speaking at a ceremony marking the 66th year since the end of the war, noted fewer than 2 million of the 16 million men and women who served in the war are alive. They are dying at a rate of 30,000 per month, he said.

City Council candidate David Oh issued a formal apology Thursday for what he described as carelessness in describing his five-year stint in the Army National Guard - an issue that led some veterans to complain he was embellishing his military record. Although Oh was assigned to a National Guard Special Forces unit, he said he should have been more careful as a candidate in his use of the terms Special Forces and Green Beret, both used to describe elite units whose combat soldiers typically have endured months of rigorous training. "I apologize to the public for any confusion or misimpression...

I thought I would give a heads up to fellow vets who served in Thailand from 1967..forward After years of fighting, the VA finally relinquished and admitted that AO was used on bases throughout Thailand. IF YOU HAVEN'T FILE YOUR CLAIMS...get on it..the new deadline is THIS AUGUST 30th,2011. Check the VA site for details....file that claim that has been denied to you NOW!!

BLUFFDALE, Utah – It's been four years since Randall Hester last heard from his older brother, Ron, a Navy veteran his family called a lone wolf. He had no idea Ron had died in January 2009 until relatives saw the man's name in a newspaper along with 15 other veterans whose bodies were unclaimed. On Monday, Hester prepared for a final goodbye, gripping an urn containing his brother's ashes and heading off to the Manti-La Sal National Forest. "It will be our last elk hunt," the 50-year-old Hester said with a great laugh, a bit like old times. He planned...

Memorial of the US Naval Disaster of the aircraft carrier, USS Forrestal - CVA-59, July 29, 1967 in North Vietnam, Golf of Tonkin. Song of this Memorial video is, Pray For Me, sung by the Blind Boys of Alabama.

An innovative, relatively young program provides active-duty soldiers and military veterans a jump start into civilian existence while bringing life to agriculture. One-sixth of the U.S. population is enlisted in the military, and 45 percent of that number is from rural farm communities, according to the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. Farms need more hands, and veterans need work after service. So Michael O’Gorman founded the nonprofit Farmer-Veteran Coalition, based in Davis, California, to plow the hindrances and help reintegrate service men and women on a national scale. O’Gorman, a seasoned organic farmer, watched the...

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2011 – Bronze campaign stars are now authorized for service members who have served in Iraq since Sept. 1, 2010, or in Afghanistan since Dec. 1, 2009, Defense Department officials announced today. The new campaign stars, worn on the Iraq and Afghanistan campaign medals, recognize service during Operation New Dawn in Iraq and the Consolidation III campaign phase in Afghanistan. Operation New Dawn began Sept. 1, 2010, marking the official end of Operation Iraqi Freedom and U.S. combat operations in Iraq and a new focus on advising, assisting and training Iraqi security forces. The Consolidation III campaign...

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., June 21, 2011 – An Air Force Space Command chief master sergeant used the occasion of her retirement ceremony here to take care of one last troop -- her father, who was presented with the Bronze Star Medal he earned four decades ago. Army Col. Timothy Coffin, deputy commander of Space and Missile Defense Command and Army Strategic Command, pins the Bronze Star on retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Porter as his daughter, Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Nancy Geisler, looks on during her retirement ceremony June 13, 2011, at Peterson Air Force Base,...

SIERRA VISTA — A Marine Corps League event Sept. 18 will benefit active, retired and former Marines and their families in the area with social functions, morale and welfare. The Marine Corps League Poker Run will kick off with a rally at 9 a.m. at Cochise County Choppers on Highway 92 in Bisbee. Register from 10 a.m. to noon, with the last rider out at 1 p.m. and in by 4 p.m. Cost is $10 per rider, $5 per passenger. A parts swap meet and 50/50 raffle also are planned. For more information, call 234-6402. The Marine Corps League can...

ARLINGTON, Va., June 9, 2011 – As one of the last remaining active-duty National Guard members with service experience in Vietnam, Army Master Sgt. Leland Lesher said the most rewarding thing about his career is the view from the top while at the Army Guard headquarters. Army Master Sgt. Leland Lesher, Army National Guard force protection branch noncommissioned officer in charge and an Illinois National Guard member, swears the oath of extension and enlistment at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Va., June 7, 2011. Lesher is one of the last active-duty Guard members who has service time...